scaffolding and fading scaffolding
- Lesley Goddard
Although scaffolding is known to be effective at helping learners learn, it has such wide meaning, and requires adaptability and skill by the teacher - so rather than researchers proving scaffolding "works" they spend their time and skill looking at how to do it best.
One often overlooked aspect to scaffolding is that fading of scaffolding needs to be done gradually, which is in opposition to a "teach topic once per year" scheme of learning.
We like to think of all of our layers as being scaffolding over time; as learners master a layer, the learner has built a chunk which becomes the learners' internal scaffolding, and so the teacher doesn't need to provide external scaffolding to teach the next layer.
Sometimes however, we provide 2 or more layers: one without the scaffolding and one with very similar question which includes some of the scaffolding of the lesson.
In the future we hope to have the app automate the process of moving from the layer with to the layer without scaffolding or v.v.
Scaffolding: definition
Based on the work of Hogan and Presley, educational strategist Verna Leigh Lange stated in her 2002 article on Instructional Scaffolding that there are two major steps involved in the process:
(1) “development of instructional plans to lead the learners from what they already know to a deep understanding of new material,” and
(2) “execution of the plans, wherein the instructor provides support to the learners at every step of the learning process.”
Instructional Scaffolding: A Definitive Guide Lange, V. L. (2002). Instructional scaffolding. Retrieved on September 25, 2007 from http://condor.admin.ccny.cuny.edu/~group4/Cano/Cano%20Paper.doc
Scaffolding: research
http://www.vtaide.com/png/ERIC/Scaffolding.htm Larkin, Martha 2002 ERIC Digest. Note: Digest number E639.
When learners are learning new or difficult tasks, they are given more assistance.
As they begin to demonstrate task mastery, the assistance or support is decreased gradually in order to shift the responsibility for learning from the teacher to the learners.
Thus, as the learners assume more responsibility for their learning, the teacher provides less support.
Hogan and Pressley (1997) summarized the literature to identify eight essential elements of scaffolded instruction that teachers can use as general guidelines.
Note that these elements do not have to occur in the sequence listed.
1. Pre-engagement with the learner and the curriculum - The teacher considers curriculum goals and the learners' needs to select appropriate tasks.
2. Establish a shared goal - The learners may become more motivated and invested in the learning process when the teacher works with each learner to plan instructional goals.
3. Actively diagnose learner needs and understandings - The teacher must be knowledgeable of content and sensitive to the learners (e.g., aware of the learners' background knowledge and misconceptions) to determine if they are making progress.
4. Provide tailored assistance - This may include cueing or prompting, questioning, modeling, telling, or discussing. The teacher uses these as needed and adjusts them to meet the learners' needs.
5. Maintain pursuit of the goal - The teacher can ask questions and request clarification as well as offer praise and encouragement to help learners remain focused on their goals.
6. Give feedback - To help learners learn to monitor their own progress, the teacher can summarize current progress and explicitly note behaviors that contributed to each learner's success.
7. Control for frustration and risk - The teacher can create an environment in which the learners feel free to take risks with learning by encouraging them to try alternatives.
8. Assist internalization, independence, and generalization to other contexts - This means that the teacher helps the learners to be less dependent on the teacher's extrinsic signals to begin or complete a task and also provides the opportunity to practice the task in a variety of contexts.
Hogan, K., & Pressley, M. (Eds.). (1997). Scaffolding learner learning: Instructional approaches and issues. Cambridge, MA: Brookline Books.
Larkin (2001) interviewed and observed teachers who scaffolded instruction to help their learners to become more independent learners. She found that these teachers regularly incorporated several of the eight essential elements of scaffolding into instruction. Other guidelines for effective scaffolding that these teachers shared included the following:
1. Begin with what the learners can do
Learners need to be aware of their strengths and to feel good about tasks they can do with little or no assistance.
2. Help learners achieve success quickly
Although learners need challenging work in order to learn, frustration and a "cycle of failure" may set in quickly if learners do not experience frequent success.
3. Help learners to "be" like everyone else
Learners want to be similar to and accepted by their peers. If given the opportunity and support, some learners may work harder at tasks in order to appear more like their peers.
4. Know when it is time to stop
Practicing is important to help learners remember and apply their knowledge, but too much may impede the learning.
"Less is more" may be the rule when learners have demonstrated that they can perform the task.5. Help learners to be independent when they have command of the activity
Teachers need to watch for clues from their learners that show when and how much teacher assistance is needed.
Scaffolding should be removed gradually as learners begin to demonstrate mastery and then no longer provided when learners can perform the task independently.